The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 199 -
On the slow and the fast comprehension of the teaching of the truth.
1
(The Lord:) "However, this is an old experience, that people, who easily accept something without being tanned properly beforehand, also easily let go again of the easily accepted matter, while people, who accept and comprehend a teaching through a lot of suffering, does not that easily let go of it again.
2
O, there are those, who have quite good talents and in addition have also other abilities! They quite well grasp and understand everything quickly and easily; but when the time comes for the necessary trials, they think about their worldly advantages, are afraid to sacrifice too much and try as far as possible to forget and get rid of those spiritual things, which, although tangible true, does not yield them any interest in this world. Such people resemble those nearly completely transparent dayflies, which play the whole beautiful day long in the light and are full of life as they are illuminated and glowing; but then comes life's trying night, and their light and glowing comes to an end and also their light!
3
Therefore those people, who in the beginning accept any higher truth with somewhat more difficulty, are more suitable for the kingdom of God than the easy-acceptor; since they then keep what have been accepted faithfully and life-warm, while the easy-acceptors are playing with the light of heavens in the same manner as the dayflies with sunlight, but subsequently do not have a greater use of the light of heaven than the dayflies from sunlight.
4
There are, however, also exist people, who accept the truth easily, also keep it and shine forth like bright stars at night, and produce for themselves and others great use; but these people are few and are rare.
5
However, all these moors belong to the slow-understanding; but once they have grasp it, it belongs to them, and they will shine forth and forth in their latest descendants, like the stars in the Orion and like Sirjezc (Sirius) in the great wideness.
6
The thorough acceptance and the right understanding of My teaching is nearly the same as the acquisition of great wealth: Who came in a very easy way to great wealth, will also quickly and soon be finished with it; since he never was accustomed to privation, and he never tried to save. Once he came into great wealth by inheritance or other easily achieved profit, he will not respect the inheritance; since he thinks and also feels it, that great wealth can be easily acquired. But who acquired considerable wealth by the diligence of his hands, knows all the difficulties and hard work and knows how many drops of sweat each groschen has cost him; therefore he respects his hard acquired wealth and surely does not wastes and squanders it in a frivolous manner.
7
It is the same with spiritual treasures. Who acquires them easily, nearly pays no attention to them, since he thinks and feels it in himself, that he either could never loose them, or, even if he would loose some or even all of it, that he quite easily could get it back again. But this is not so; since who loses something spiritual, will not acquire the lost something as easy as the first time.
8
Since matter takes immediately the place of the lost spiritual, which is a judgement, it cannot be pushed out that easily as in the beginning. Since like all spiritual becomes continuously more spiritual and freer, also the physical becomes more physical, worldlier and fuller of judgement and death; for who is stuck in the judgement once and is tied up in its will and recognition, returns freedom to himself quite difficult or even never.
9
Who once has My word, must keep it and stay in it unchangingly not only by knowledge, but mainly through deeds and works according to the word; because all knowledge and faith without works, is as good as nothing and can have no value for life!
10
What use is it for someone who wants to undertake a trip to a destination of which he only knows the name but does not know the way to get there, and someone knowledgeable about the way, gives him a detailed description, but he does not walk the route, turns around and walks off into the opposite direction?! Will he ever reach his destination? I say: He can go where he wants, but will never reach his place of destination; since where you want to go, you also have to walk in that direction!
11
These moors are for certain the most knowledgeable people in the whole world regarding the description of the earth! However, without the governor Justus Platonicus, they never would have found the way to here according to their knowledge; but after the governor has described to them the way to here accurately, they travelled exactly as he has described, and their current presence here is sufficient proof, that they have executed the instructions of the governor very precisely, and this required a steadfast firm will, which is in a high degree inherent to them. However, who wants something really hard, he surely also executes what he wants.
12
Who therefore has My word and My teaching and acts with a firm will accordingly, must reach his destination, and nothing can stop him; however, who acts a little according to My word and at the same time does what the loose world desires, is like a person who walks half the distance to a place, and when reaching the halfway point, turns around and walks same way back.
13
He also resembles a servant who wants to serve two masters, which are opposed to each other. Will he get his work done with the two mutually hostile masters? Can he love both, even only ostensibly? What will the two masters do, once they find out that the double servant is equally loyal to both of them? Will not the one just as the other say to the servant: 'O you joker of a servant, how can you love my worst enemy the same as me?! Serve only me, or resign from my service!' Since nobody can truthfully serve two masters at the same time; he must adhere to the one and despise the other. And see, such a loose and rogue-like servant will finally be chased away by both masters and will find it quite difficult to obtain a third employment, and it will be with him like sitting on the floor between two chairs.
14
That these moors do not want to serve two, but only one master, you can easily deduce from the way the leader is fighting his colleagues, to whom the words of the governor still mean too much and cannot that easily be removed from their hearts!
15
The only thing, what the governor has told them out of Moses about a divine personality, is a clue and a bridge, on which they can be brought to Me. And it is on this bridge on which the leader is primarily trying to convince the stubborn. If I do not send him the angel to assist, he will not be finished with them in a years time; however, I now will send the angel to him and the case will present itself!"
16
Says Cyrenius: "O Lord, then I would like to be closer, to be able to listen to the negotiations more clearly!"
17
Says I: "It will not be necessary; since the wind will bring everything to our ears!"